Here’s a lovely quote about feature-rich telephone service.
I was a little boy in the South in the 1930s… I’d pick up the receiver, and the lady would say, “Number, please,” and I’d say, “I want my Mommy!” She might say, “Well, Skippy, she was over at Miz Ferguson’s, but she left there and now she’s at Miz Furrey’s. Somebody’s using the phone there right now, but I’ll break in and tell them you need your Mama.” We had call waiting, call forwarding, executive override and voice recognition. I didn’t even have to dial.
After using that quote, Daniel lays in to “features” of the “modern” telephone system, such as the telephone number itself. He’s right, and I suspect that the telephone number (as something the end user has to be aware of) is one of those things we currently take for granted, but is actually a rather transient thing.